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Europe · air quality report · 168 cities

Russia air quality today The AQI right now, city by city

Right now the 168 cities Airleaf measures in Russia average AQI 30 (good). The worst air is in Odintsovo, at AQI 81, and the cleanest in Lyubertsy, at AQI 33.

At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 52 across 11 cities. 2% of the 168 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, and 79% have Good air.

Average right now

AQI 30

Good

US EPA index, across 168 cities
cities measured
168
worst air: Odintsovo
81
cleanest air: Lyubertsy
33
average tree cover
34.1%

Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.

Air quality right now in the 8 largest cities in Russia

Moscow

2 km around Moscow Kremlin

Good

Air quality now

AQI 40

15.4%
tree cover

42.5K more trees would reach 30% tree cover

Satellite image Sep 10, 2026

Saint Petersburg

2 km around Tsentralny District

Moderate

Air quality now

AQI 88

14.5%
tree cover

36.2K more trees would reach 30% tree cover

Satellite image Sep 14, 2026

Novosibirsk

2 km around Tsentral'nyy Rayon

Good

Air quality now

AQI 31

20.0%
tree cover

27.8K more trees would reach 30% tree cover

Satellite image Sep 11, 2026

Yekaterinburg

2 km around Zheleznodorozhnyy Rayon

Good

Air quality now

AQI 6

28.4%
tree cover

4.9K more trees would reach 30% tree cover

Satellite image Sep 18, 2026

Nizhniy Novgorod

2 km around City Center

Moderate

Air quality now

AQI 57

34.3%
tree cover

Healthy tree cover

Satellite image Aug 10, 2026

Kazan

2 km around Kremlin and Historical Center

Good

Air quality now

AQI 13

23.3%
tree cover

17.8K more trees would reach 30% tree cover

Satellite image Sep 25, 2026

Chelyabinsk

2 km around Traktorozavodskiy Rayon

Good

Air quality now

AQI 7

26.9%
tree cover

9.6K more trees would reach 30% tree cover

Satellite image Sep 22, 2026

Omsk

2 km around Tsentral'nyy Okrug

Good

Air quality now

AQI 15

24.3%
tree cover

16.0K more trees would reach 30% tree cover

Satellite image Sep 25, 2026

Across the country

How clean is the air across Russia today?

2% of the 168 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, and 79% have Good air. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

168 measured cities

  • Good132 (79%)
  • Moderate33 (20%)
  • Unhealthy for sensitive groups3 (2%)

Every measured city, including model estimates where no ground station is near.

In aggregate

Russia in numbers

Every figure below is read the same way over the same 2 km area per city, so they add up and compare like for like. Averaged across the 168 of 168 cities measured so far in Russia.

Average air quality
AQI 30Mean of the latest reading per city
Average tree cover
34.1%62 of 168 below their target
Trees counted
17.3MAcross every measured area
More trees needed
1.3MTo bring each area to its target

Against everywhere else

How does Russia compare with other countries?

Right now the cities of Russia average cleaner air than 89% of the 171 countries Airleaf has enough cities to average, and more tree cover than 76%.

Cleaner air than…

Russia
Beats 89%

More tree cover than…

Russia
Beats 76%

See the most polluted and cleanest air rankings for every country.

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Russia lost?

Since 2001, Russia has lost about 91.7 million hectares of forest (about 920,000 km²): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 1 million hectares (1.1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.

Forest lost since 2001
91.7 million haabout 920,000 km²
Share of its forest
12%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
1 million hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest lost each year in Russia, 2001–2025

Hectares of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year in Russia, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.6.49M

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year in Russia, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
200117,100 ha1.8 million ha1.82 million ha
200215,400 ha2.67 million ha2.69 million ha
200310,800 ha3.01 million ha3.02 million ha
200423,100 ha3.48 million ha3.51 million ha
200523,700 ha1.56 million ha1.58 million ha
200629,600 ha2.19 million ha2.22 million ha
200738,100 ha2.29 million ha2.33 million ha
200839,400 ha3 million ha3.04 million ha
200938,600 ha2.07 million ha2.1 million ha
201044,400 ha1.81 million ha1.85 million ha
201139,400 ha2.97 million ha3.01 million ha
201252,700 ha5.31 million ha5.37 million ha
201327,100 ha4.91 million ha4.94 million ha
201441,400 ha4.43 million ha4.47 million ha
201537,200 ha2.29 million ha2.32 million ha
201662,400 ha4.97 million ha5.03 million ha
201763,400 ha5.2 million ha5.26 million ha
201853,500 ha5.48 million ha5.53 million ha
201947,700 ha3.62 million ha3.67 million ha
202051,300 ha5.37 million ha5.42 million ha
202148,000 ha6.44 million ha6.49 million ha
202252,100 ha4.21 million ha4.27 million ha
202357,400 ha3.28 million ha3.34 million ha
202448,200 ha5.11 million ha5.16 million ha
202540,400 ha3.25 million ha3.29 million ha

Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 4.51 million hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 4.98 million hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2021, when about 6.49 million hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.

What is causing deforestation in Russia?

  • Wildfirescan grow back73% · 66.9 million ha
  • Loggingcan grow back22% · 20.4 million ha
  • Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back2.2% · 2.02 million ha

Also: mining and energy, towns and roads, farms, pasture and plantations, shifting farming, unknown causes.

Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.

Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. How it's measured

Russia as a whole

50.8% of Russia was forested as of 2024, against a 30% benchmark. That already clears the benchmark — the city reports above show where cover is still thin locally. Source: World Bank (FAO).

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Frequently asked

Air quality in Russia: your questions answered

What is the air quality in Russia today?

Right now the 168 cities Airleaf measures in Russia average AQI 30 (good). The worst air is in Odintsovo, at AQI 81, and the cleanest in Lyubertsy, at AQI 33. At ground stations alone, which measure rather than estimate, the average is AQI 52 across 11 cities. 2% of the 168 measured cities are over AQI 100 today, where the air stops being fine for sensitive groups, and 79% have Good air.

Which city in Russia has the worst air right now?

Odintsovo, at AQI 81 (Moderate) on the US EPA index. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

Which city in Russia has the cleanest air right now?

Lyubertsy, at AQI 33 (Good). Both lists rank current readings, from ground stations wherever Russia has at least three cities with one.

Is the air in Russia safe to breathe today?

It depends on the city. 132 cities are Good, 33 cities are Moderate, 3 cities are Unhealthy for sensitive groups. At the national average of AQI 30: Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

How much forest has Russia lost since 2001?

About 91.7 million ha from 2001 to 2025, 12% of the forest it had in 2000, from the University of Maryland's yearly satellite maps of forest loss. 1 million ha of it was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.

Which city in Russia has the most trees?

Solikamsk, with 73.3% tree cover within 2 km of its center, measured from Sentinel-2 satellite images.

How does Airleaf measure air quality in Russia?

Each city's reading is the US EPA air quality index, from ground monitoring stations where one has reported recently nearby, and from the CAMS atmospheric model elsewhere; each city's report says which. Tree cover is measured over the same 2 km radius in every city, so the cities compare like for like.

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